GutterPutter

Without AFI, there wouldn’t be My Chemical Romance or Panic! at the Disco as the poster bands for 2000s’ emo. At least not for the mainstream image. AFI is an American punk band whose direction had long been focused on gothic horror aesthetics since their founding in 1991. The name is an abbreviation of “A Fire Inside”, true to the theatrical core of the band, and is fronted by singer-songwriter Davey Havok. Other core members include drummer Adam Carson, bassist-keyboardist Hunter Burgan, and guitarist Jade Puget. They broke through with a one-two jab combo in 2000 and 2003 when their respective albums The Art of Drowning and Sing the Sorrow entered the chart with the latter reaching top 5 on the Billboard 200. A wider name recognition allowed the four to enjoy a streak of commercial hits although both fans and even a handful of critics might feel that their tunes feel more phoned in as time goes by. This complaint stands even as they branch off towards the new wave style.

Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… marks the eleventh studio album of AFI and it’s one which is a more serious effort based on some comments surrounding it. It signifies a return to the band’s breakthrough style in gothic rock and from the first sniff at ‘The Bird of Prey’, it does show a more concentrated attempt. Havok’s restrained kind of vocal delivery is like Ian Curtis from Joy Division which compliments the depressive lyrics of hedonism and ageing. ‘Behind the Clock’ follows the intro up with broodingly deep basslines and a slightly muffled yet punchy snare hits that befit the apocalyptic collapse in self-identity. Mix that with the reverberating guitars and an ethereal kind of echo that pervades the instruments in ‘Blasphemy and Excess’ and you might find yourself stunned by AFI’s proficiency at first.

Just as the album shows itself to be the band’s return to form at least in terms of production expressiveness, it is also one that feels held back by its lack of inventiveness and creative vision. It’s paradoxical to explain in just one sentence, so it’s simply for the better to bring to mind AFI’s previous difficulties in nailing down the new wave formula alongside a maturation of emo beyond edgy imagery. The production itself has the shine that allows the initial wave of listening to be pleasurable and accessible; it fails to carry the fearful intent onto the tracks and it shows in subsequent tries.

Ignoring the admittedly tense sample of some screeches in ‘Holy Visions’, the track works more like a retro cover of one of the acclaimed bands back in the 1980s. The execution of the chorus doesn’t sound epic so much as it does corny in how laidback it is relative to the heretical imagery. ‘Ash Speck in a Green Eye’ sees its guitar riff come off as being too “futuristic” in that it lacks the harshness needed to draw attention to the theme of obsession and jealousy. And such a dissonance appears in ‘VOIDWARD, I BEND BACK’ and ‘Marguerite’ as well where the lyrics fail to intensify the intended mood of unease or despair. 

If we were to make use of the Joy Division comparison or extend it to include even the Cure, Curtis and Robert Smith respectively implants their songwriting with a more murky kind of production. You can thank the time of recording for it coming off as being dated, but that makes the synths come off as subtly menacing. The resulting hauntological impression ensures that the textures will latch on like a ghast that will wither your very soul. The guitar riffs and basslines therefore sound more anxiety-inducing from its shortened notes and it makes the personal experience more fragmented in how you feel about it. AFI makes their music too professional for the listener to actually sense the impression of dread at first hearing. The experience thus either gets delayed or even collapses onto itself for how shallow its mood is.

As a result, when the tracks focus on a more minor kind of music key along with less emphasis on polish, the shine begins to break through even if it’s only a few glimpses of it. ‘Spear of Truth’ has its scintillating guitar strums that are done in a flamenco style which adds depth to the epic post-apocalypse vibe from its resulting direction. ‘A World Unmade’ sees its first 45 seconds be largely ambience which forms tension and anticipation for when the bass hits. It comes with the riveting drums and muted synths which compliment the impression of being the only living soul in the world. Then comes the final track in ‘Nooneunderground’ which saw the tempo be quick, the weird thud-like screech be added for every odd refrain of “there’s no one”, and the composition gradually losing its composure. With the twist being that the presumed hollow world was brought about by nuclear war, it ends on a vaguely prophetic pause without any serious crescendo to keep your attention.

Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… does mark the comeback of AFI in one aspect at least. They do know how to play their instruments well and they at least have an inkling of it being used for keeping up with the higher ends of gothic rock. The use of synths alongside some shine from the production do however lead to the music coming off as being too “commercial” for its impact to come to full fruition. It feels too poppy for its own good as the general theme of the world coming to an end gets contrasted with the synths playing and guitar riffing that are more flashy than foreboding. Fans who await for the comeback at least are more than happy to find that the band at least still has it in them to rock out their usual style. I doubt that this album is going to attract a serious number of newcomers and if so, it’ll more so be a let down that would only take a while until they give ‘Girl’s Not Grey’ or ‘Silver and Gold’ a check.

2.4/5